The Southeastern Conference has quickly developed into an outstanding basketball league thanks to the addition of several great coaches and the willingness to play tougher non-conference schedules during the regular season.

Those factors have helped turn Mississippi State into a consistent challenger in recent seasons with the hiring of Ben Howland and an increased emphasis on adding marquee non-conference opponents to the program’s schedule. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, that practice will continue for the Bulldogs next season.

That’s because Mississippi State is expected to participate in Newark’s 2019 Never Forget Tribute Classic against Kansas State. The game is expected to be played on Dec. 14.

In an interesting note, once this game is made official, Mississippi State and Kansas State will face off in both basketball and football for the upcoming seasons. The Bulldogs are set to host the Wildcats in Starkville on Sept. 14 one season after Mississippi State traveled to Kansas State and beat Kansas State 31-10.